Electrical connector

ABSTRACT

An electrical connector comprising in combination a panel having an opening extending therethrough, an electrical receptacle, and an elongated male connector. The electrical receptacle has its lower section fixedly held in the top portion of said opening with its bottom edge positioned inwardly from the bottom of said opening. The lower section forms a female connector and conductor securing means are formed on the upper section of the receptacle. The elongated male connector has an external diameter just slightly less than the diameter of the opening in the panel to provide lateral support and the tip of the connector is provided with means to mate with the female connector.

D United States Patent 1 51 3,675,189 a Smith 1 July 4, 1972 541 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 1,247,656 11/1917 Gadke ..339/256 c x [72] Inventor: James P. Smith, Warwick, R-I. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [7'31 Assign osby 382,630 12 1907 France ..339/256 5 [221 Filed: Dec. 22, 1970 I Y Primary Examiner--Marv1n A. Champlon PP N05 100,596 Assistant ExaminerRobert A. Hafer Att0rneyBarlow and Barlow [52] US. Cl. ..339/221 R, 339/205, 339/215 R,

339 25 R [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl ..H01r 9/08 An decmcal connector com prlsmg 1n com matlon a panel [58] F1eld of Search ..337/22l 248, 2 56, 214, 215, having an opening extending thercthrough, an electrical 337/217 24/213 receptacle, and an elongated male connector. The electrical receptacle has its lower section fixedly held in the top portion [56] References cued of said opening with its bottom edge positioned inwardly from UNITED STATES PATENTS the bottom of said opening. The lower section forms a female connector and conductor securmg means are formed on the 2,853,691 MCCOl'd upper section of the receptacle. The elongated male connec. 1,387,109 8/1921 tor has an external diameter just slightly less than the diameter 2,563,761 8/1951 Ulme 339/25 R of the opening in the panel to provide lateral support and the 3,538,240 11/1970 Sherlock "174/88 tip of the connector is provided with means to mate with the 3,145,069 8/1964 Damon et al ..339/218 f l connector 1,334,084 3/1920 Dorsey .1 ..339/252 X 2,959,759 11/1960 Nava ..339/61 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures Patented July 4, 1972 FIG?) FIG.2

INVENTOR JAMES P. SMITH ATTORNEYS ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an electrical connector commonly used in plug boards, circuit connecting panels of an electroresponsive device, circuit testing panels, and other electrical devices. For example, in circuit test panels it is often necessary to replace spring contact probes as the probes become bent and otherwise unserviceable. Certain types of interchangeable contact probes have been provided but for the most part they have been made in such a fashion that insufiicient support has been given to the contact probe and reliance has been solely on the electrical contact connection for the mechanical connection. As the probe deflects, failure can therefore be experienced by loosening the electro mechanical connection and the probe may fall out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an electrical connector which provides a strong mechanical connection while still permitting a simple movement to disconnect the male connector from the female receptacle. The male connector offers excellent wipe characteristics as it is plugged into the female receptacle. The knob end of the male connector insures constant mechanical contact after plug-in with the receptacle.

Advantages to be gained when the connectors are used in multi-wire closely spaced test fixtures are 1) the probes can be replaced without rewiring from the front of the fixture, 2) only holes need be drilled in the panel since no reaming or counterboring is necessary, and 3) probes with different tips for different functions (i.e. pin testing, hole testing, pad testing) can be intermixed and/or interchanged in the same fixture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational illustrating the lower section of the electrical receptacle in cross sectional view and illustrating the mating elongated male connector;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the male connector;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational illustrating a first alternative embodiment of an electricalreceptacle;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational illustrating a second alternative embodiment of an electrical receptacle; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational illustrating a third alternative embodiment of an electrical receptacle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Looking to FIG. 1, the combination comprising the electrical connector is illustrated. A hook-up wire having a portion of its conductor 12 bared at its end is spiral wrapped on the square rod 21 extending upwardly from' receptacle which is formed on the upper section of the electrical connector. This type of receptacle is known as a wire wrapping receptacle. Formed at the bottom of the upper section is a flange 23 that separates the upper and lower sections and which limits the extent that the electrical connector can be inserted into bore 14 of housing 13. The lower section 22 is fixedly held in the top portion of bore 14. This lower section also has a bore 16 which functions as a female connector and has a restricted neck portion 17 whose function will be next explained.

Elongated male connector is illustrated having a test probe attached to its one end, however it could have many other devices attached to its end. Theoutside diameter of the housing gripping the male connector is just slightly smaller than the diameter of bore 14 so that the male connector may be freely slid into and out of the bore and still provide lateral support to help maintain the strong mechanical grip between the female and male connectors. In the form illustrated, the tip of the male connector is in the form of a knob 26 having a reduced diameter section 27 adjacent thereto. Said knob has longitudinally extending fingers 28 formed by cutting slots 29 along two crossing longitudinal planes.

diameter section adjacent the tip of the male connector.

It is essential that a strong mechanical connection be derived. In the preferred form, the lower section of the electrical receptacle has a bore therein forming the female connector and adjacent its mouth is a restricted neck portion. Acting in combination to provide strong mechanical connection then are the fingers of the tip which have expanded into gripping relation with the internal walls of the bore of the female connector. Also close dimensional tolerance between the external diameter of the reduced diameter section and the restricted neck portion restrict lateral rocking movement of the male connector with respect to the female connector. Lastly the walls of the opening in the housing restrict lateral movement of the test probe due to the close dimensional tolerances between the diameter of the hole and outside diameter of the male connector along its elongated length.

The same structure that helps provide such an improved mechanical grip also functions to produce an easily disassembled connection. That is, the compressible knob on the tip of the male connector, by being longitudinally slotted along two crossing planes allows the fingers formed thereby to function equally well when it is necessary to withdraw the tip of the male connector from the female connector. FIG. 2 is a view looking down on the top of knob 26 and showing the slots 29 and their crossing planes.

The embodiment seen in FIG. 3 illustrates a solder cup type receptacle 30 into which a male connector 25 such as seen in FIG. 1 would be inserted. The receptacle has a standard lower section 22a with a female socket 32 formed at its top. Shoulder 33 separates the upper and lower sections and limits the extent that the electrical connector can be inserted into bore 14 of housing 13. Bare conductor 12 would be inserted in female socket 32 and solder melted therein to form the connection.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 4 having a male pin type receptacle 40. It also has a standard lower section 22b with a pin 42 formed at its top. Flange 43 separates the upper and lower sections. To pin 42 a female connector 44 attached to the bare conductor is slid thereover. This type receptacle is also connected with a male connector such as seen in FIG. 1.

The last embodiment is the dual in-line type receptacle 50 seen in FIG. 5. It likewise has the standard lower section here designated 22c and has an upper section 52 configured the same as the lower section, and it also forms a female socket. Flange 53 separates the upper and lower sections. To mate with the upper section 52 a male connector 54 similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1 has to be attached to bare conductor 12. Its locking and unlocking characteristics would be the same as those existing between the male connector and female receptacle discussed in the first embodiment.

It will be appreciated that the combination provides a superior mechanical connection to the female connector by virtue of the fact that the external diameter of the male connector fixture is supported over a considerable portion of its length by the bore 14 of the insulating fixture 13. This enhances the electrical connection that is made by the male and female devices.

What is claimed is:

1. The Combination comprising a housing of insulating material of a predetermined thickness having an opening of predetermined cross-section extending all the .way

therethrough from top to bottom, an electrical connector having an upper section above said housing and a lower section press fitted into said opening, conductor securing means formed on said upper section, said electrical connector having means formed between said upper section and said lower section to limit insertion of the electrical connector into said opening only as far as the top of said lower section, the lower section of the electrical connector being fixedly held in the upper portion of said opening in the housing, the bottom edge of said connector being positioned inwardly from the bottom of said opening, said lower section forming a tubular wall female connector providing a bore, said wall extending inwardly forming a groove in its outer surface intermediate its ends which wall is supported on either side of said groove by the wall of said opening and said inward extending wall portion providing a restricted neck adjacent the mouth of said 

1. The Combination comprising a housing of insulating material of a predetermined thickness having an opening of predetermined cross-section extending all the way therethrough from top to bottom, an electrical connector having an upper section above said housing and a lower section press fitted into said opening, conductor securing means formed on said upper section, said electrical connector having means formed between said upper section and said lower section to limit insertion of the electrical connector into said opening only as far as the top of said lower section, the lower section of the electrical connector being fixedly held in the upper portion of said opening in the housing, the bottom edge of said connector being positioned inwardly from the bottom of said opening, said lower section forming a tubular wall female connector providing a bore, said wall extending inwardly forming a groove in its outer surface intermediate its ends which wall is supported on either side of said groove by the wall of said opening and said inward extending wall portion providing a restricted neck adjacent the mouth of said bore, an elongated male connector whose outside lateral dimensions are slightly smaller than the dimensions of said opening such that the male connector may be slid into said opening in mating relationship and be supported by the wall of said opening, said male connector having a tip with a knob-like configuration, said tip being slit longitudinally along at least two crossing planes to provide resilience to snap said tip past said restricted neck. 